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FootballOutsiders: Four Downs, NFC West

February 27, 2017 06:38AM
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Los Angeles Rams

Biggest Hole: Quarterback


This was another easy choice. Los Angeles traded up in the 2016 draft from pick 15 to No. 1 overall. Altogether the Rams traded two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and two third-round picks to Tennessee for the aforementioned first-overall pick, a fourth-rounder, and a sixth-rounder. Yeesh. To top it all off, the guy they traded up to draft, Jared Goff, didn't even start for the first half of the season.

It took all of that and a 4-12 record to eventually lead to Jeff Fisher's ouster as head coach in his fifth season with the team. Yet, for all the handwringing over the Rams benching their prized pick until the season was all but lost, the coaching staff's reticence to throw Goff to the wolves appeared justified after seeing the California Golden Bears star in action. The Rams started the season with Case Keenum under center, and in nine starts, Keenum finished 31st out of 34 qualifying quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts in DYAR at minus-185; 31st in DVOA at minus-19.6%; and 32nd in QBR at 43.8.

Not to be outdone, Goff started seven games and achieved the trifecta of finishing last in DYAR (minus-880), last in DVOA (minus-74.7%), and last in QBR (22.2). Los Angeles will hope that newly hired wunderkind head coach Sean McVay can work some of the magic on Goff that he used as offensive coordinator with Washington, where he transformed Kirk Cousins from a replacement-level quarterback into a player worthy of the franchise tag. The 31-year-old McVay will have a tough task on his hands, but maybe he can pass on some wisdom to his second-year quarterback. At worst, they could probably compare notes on where to spend a night on the town in Los Angeles.

Major Free Agents: Trumaine Johnson, CB; Kenny Britt, WR; Brian Quick, WR

Johnson is one of the better cornerbacks in this free agent class and therefore should have a pretty strong market after playing 2016 on the franchise tag for the Rams. Considering how bad the Los Angeles offense was in 2016, Kenny Britt was a major positive for the team, posting the first 1,000-yard season of his eight-year career and finishing 28th among wide receivers with 167 DYAR. Doing so with Keenum and Goff throwing to him should earn Britt some type of medal. Although Quick possesses a great name for a wide receiver, the Rams would not miss him and his minus-28 DYAR (79th out of 93 qualifying receivers) nearly as much as they would miss Britt should the two of them both walk in free agency.
SubjectAuthorViewsPosted

  FootballOutsiders: Four Downs, NFC West

LMU93558February 27, 2017 06:38AM

  That's funny...

max194February 27, 2017 08:58AM